When you shop in New Zealand, you have to pay extra 50 cents for each plastic bag you take. Here, we are handed countless plastic bags anywhere we go for free. But, did you know that most of those plastic bags you used go straight to the landfill and a very small percentage of plastic bags are actually recycled. And did you know that plastic makes up 80% of the volume of litter on roads, parks, and beaches.
Here are some questions you should ask yourselves whenever you are handed a plastic bag:
- Do I need to take as many plastic bags in supermarkets?
- Do I need a plastic bag for an item purchased that is already well packaged by the manufacturer?
- Could I bring my own shopping bag when making purchases?
Unlike New Zealand, we don’t have a law that bans plastic bags, but we should not wait for the government to tackle the issue. YOU can make a difference! I’m not asking you to ban plastic bag completely. But you can still help saving the environment by reducing the consumption of plastic bag. Starting today =)
